Softball Makes More History in CC Opener

The Muhlenberg softball team is making history every time it steps onto Cedarcreek Field.

Kline was tagged out at the plate on a throw from center on this play in the first inning of the opener but got to circle the bases at a more comfortable pace following her slam.

Two days after notching their first win ever against The College of New Jersey, the Mules recorded another first: their first doubleheader sweep of Gettysburg.

Muhlenberg used small ball in the first game, scoring the lone run when a sacrifice bunt was thrown away in the bottom of the seventh, and big ball in the second, as senior Kelly Kline hit a grand slam in a 6-1 win.

The twin victories gave the Mules (10-2 overall) a 2-0 start in the CC and extended their CC regular-season winning streak to 10. Last year, Gettysburg handed Muhlenberg one of its two regular-season league losses.

Juniors Kelsey Jones and Heather Porrini were magnificent against a Bullet (8-3, 0-2) squad that averaged more than seven runs per game on its Spring Break trip and came in with a .367 team batting average. Jones pitched a six-hitter in the opener for her ninth career shutout, and her second in a row. Porrini allowed seven hits in the nightcap and took a shutout into the sixth inning.

Jones and the Gettysburg hurler matched zeroes until the bottom of the seventh, when sophomore Amie DeFeo was summoned to pinch-hit and lined the first pitch she saw into center for a single.

“I just try to get in the mindset that I’m new eyes seeing the pitcher and to do anything I can to get on base so the people behind me can move me around,” said DeFeo. “It’s a hard role to play, but I know it’s important.

“[The pitch] was high and I’m not always one for high pitches, but I saw it as a good pitch to hit and jumped all over it,” she added.

Porrini struck out only two but got 15 outs on the ground, including six on comebackers.

The next batter, sophomore Nicole Iannarone dropped a bunt down along the third-base line. When the throw sailed high and into foul territory along the right-field line, DeFeo came all the way around to score, bringing a stunning ending to the game.

“I had no idea what was going on back there,” said DeFeo. “When I got to second base I was basically stopped, and then I saw Coach waving me on and knew I had to step on it. When I was rounding third, Coach was so excited; I didn’t know if it was going to be a close play or if I was going to score. I just kept running.”

The Mules took the momentum of the walkoff win and ran with it in the second game. They put two runners into scoring position in the first inning, thanks to Kline’s double, and took advantage of some wildness to score five runs in the second. Two walks and an error loaded the bases with one out, and the first run came in on a wild pitch.

Another walk re-loaded the bases for Kline, who broke the game open by lining a pitch over the fence in right for her fifth home run of the season and the 26th of her career. It was her second career grand slam.

Iannarone scored the final run by sliding around a tag after doubling to lead off the sixth, and Muhlenberg, which was shut out in the second game after beating TCNJ on Thursday, completed the sweep this time.

“It feels great. We always want to come out strong, especially in the conference,” said DeFeo. “In the second game we stayed focused, scored a bunch of runs early and kept putting runners on base. It was a great win for us.”
Click here for line scores.Click for complete stats: Game 1 | Game 2